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best possible connection for their purpose. A poor contact will degrade the
signal substantially, plugs and sockets should look clean and free from
corrosion. The easiest way to clean them is to switch off the equipment, pull
the plugs out of their sockets, and push them back in again. Special contact
cleaners and contact enhancers should not be used as they tend to deposit a
film, which is very difficult to remove and may degrade the sound.
B. Switching on and off
Source components and power supplies for CD players, tuners, preamplifiers
and crossovers should be switched on before switching on the amplifier(s).
Always switch the amplifier(s) off and wait about 5 minute for its power supply
capacitors to discharge before connecting or disconnecting any leads. Always
use the power switch on the equipment instead of the mains outlet switch.
C. Running in
Your Consonance equipment will take a considerable time to run-in before it
performs at its best. The duration varies, but under some conditions you will
find that the sound continues to improve for as much as five weeks. Better
and more consistent performance will be achieved if the system is left
switched on for long periods. However, please take note that all electronic
equipment can be damaged by lightning and should not be left on for long
periods unattended.
D. Power supply
Where fused plugs are used various amp fuses should be fitted. Fuses of a
lower rating will fail after a period of use. A hi-fi system usually shares a main
circuit with other household equipment some of which can cause distortion of
the mains waveform. In some Consonance equipments such distortion can
lead to a mechanical hum from the transformers. The hum is not transmitted
through the speakers and has no effect on the performance of the system but
is purely local to the transformer. A separate fused mains circuit (like that
reserved for electric cookers) will have lower impedance, supply cleaner
power, and consequently improve system performance. Do not wire voltage
dependent resistors or noise suppressors into mains plugs. They degrade the
mains supply and the sound.
E. Positioning
Power supplies and amplifiers should be located at a reasonable distance
away from other equipments in the system. Adequate spacing will prevent the
generation of transformer resonance which in turns causing audible hum to be
heard from the loudspeakers. The minimum recommended distance is